React Native WebRTC for AI Voice Apps: 2026 Production Guide

react-native-webrtc 124.x is the de-facto WebRTC library for React Native in 2026. Pair it with react-native-callkeep for unified CallKit + Telecom UI, react-native-voip-push-notification for PushKit, and a regular FCM hook for Android — and you have a cross-platform AI voice agent client in under 1,000 lines of TypeScript.

Background

react-native-webrtc was forked from the original SimpleWebRTC RN module and is maintained today by the official react-native-webrtc GitHub org. As of version 124.0.7 (the most recent published 124.x line), it tracks libwebrtc M124, supports Unified Plan only (since 106), and ships software encode/decode with simulcast on by default (since 111). For AI voice agent apps the audio path is what matters, and 124.x handles Opus, AEC, AGC, and noise suppression on both iOS and Android with a single PeerConnection API.

The peer libraries — react-native-callkeep for CallKit + Telecom and react-native-voip-push-notification for PushKit — are still actively maintained under the same org in 2026.

Architecture

```mermaid flowchart LR Push[PushKit / FCM] --> RN[React Native App] RN -- displayIncomingCall --> CallKeep[react-native-callkeep] CallKeep -- answer event --> RN RN -- mediaDevices.getUserMedia --> WebRTC[react-native-webrtc PeerConnection] WebRTC -- DTLS-SRTP --> Gateway[Pion Go gateway 1.23] Gateway -- NATS --> Pod[6-container agent pod] ```

CallSphere implementation

CallSphere ships an internal-tools React Native app for field agents in two of our six verticals (real estate, healthcare, behavioral health, legal, salon, insurance):

• Real Estate (OneRoof) — Field reps use the RN app to receive buyer/seller hand-offs from the AI agent. The audio path is react-native-webrtc to the Pion Go gateway 1.23 → NATS → 6-container pod (CRM, MLS, calendar, SMS, audit, transcript). See /industries/real-estate.
• /demo browser path — Customers test the same agent in a desktop browser. See /demo.
• The healthcare vertical does not currently ship an RN client (we use a privacy-reviewed iOS-native build instead) — see /industries/healthcare.

Explore a live demo and compare current plans to find the right fit for your business.

Build steps with code

```bash yarn add react-native-webrtc react-native-callkeep react-native-voip-push-notification cd ios && pod install --clean-install ```

```ts // hooks/useVoiceCall.ts import { mediaDevices, RTCPeerConnection } from "react-native-webrtc"; import RNCallKeep from "react-native-callkeep"; import VoipPushNotification from "react-native-voip-push-notification";

RNCallKeep.setup({ ios: { appName: "CallSphere", supportsVideo: false }, android: { alertTitle: "Permissions", alertDescription: "Needed for incoming calls", okButton: "OK", cancelButton: "Cancel" }, });

VoipPushNotification.addEventListener("notification", (payload) => { const callId = payload.call_id; RNCallKeep.displayIncomingCall(callId, payload.from, payload.from, "generic", false); });

RNCallKeep.addEventListener("answerCall", async ({ callUUID }) => { const stream = await mediaDevices.getUserMedia({ audio: true }); const pc = new RTCPeerConnection({ iceServers: [{ urls: "stun:stun.l.google.com:19302" }], }); stream.getTracks().forEach((t) => pc.addTrack(t, stream)); // Negotiate offer/answer with backend }); ```

For Android FCM, hook `react-native-firebase/messaging`'s background handler and call `RNCallKeep.displayIncomingCall` from there.

Pitfalls

• Skipping pod install --clean-install — Stale Pods cache leads to symbol-not-found at link time on iOS.
• Using `getUserMedia` before CallKeep activates the audio session — iOS picks the wrong audio route; AirPods stay silent.
• Misconfiguring AndroidManifest — `MANAGE_OWN_CALLS`, `FOREGROUND_SERVICE`, and `FOREGROUND_SERVICE_PHONE_CALL` are all required on Android 14+.
• Hot-reload destroying the PeerConnection — RN dev menu's reload kills native objects; guard with a "is dev mode" check before assuming peer state.
• Ignoring iOS simulator audio — Mic is unreliable on simulator; always test on a real device.

FAQ

Does it work on Hermes? Yes — react-native-webrtc has been Hermes-compatible since 106.x.

Does it work on the New Architecture? Yes since 118.x; turbo modules and fabric are both supported.

Can I do video? Yes — same library; pair with react-native-camera or just `mediaDevices.getUserMedia({ video: true })`.

Is there a managed Expo path? Use the @config-plugins/react-native-webrtc plugin and an EAS dev client; Expo Go is not supported.

How big is the binary impact? Around 6 MB on iOS, 8 MB on Android due to libwebrtc.so.

Sources

• https://github.com/react-native-webrtc/react-native-webrtc
• https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-native-webrtc
• https://github.com/react-native-webrtc/react-native-callkeep
• https://github.com/react-native-webrtc/react-native-voip-push-notification
• https://www.videosdk.live/developer-hub/media-server/react-native-webrtc

Explore a live demo and compare current plans to find the right fit for your business.